Truth or Dare
by MissFeral
Summary: Mary Richards and company are working late at the office and everyone is bored. Mary thinks that playing a game will cheer them up. This is a funny story but it is meant to be a tribute to the late Mary Tyler Moore.


Mary looked at her watch. It was 9:30 pm and she was still at work. In fact, all of her male colleagues were still working. Things had been slow all day and everyone was bored and restless. It didn't help that they were forced to work late that night. Mary wanted to brighten everyone's spirits and find a cure for the boredom disease. She had an idea. It was a game…the kind of game that a bunch of little girls would play at a slumber party. She figured her friends would laugh at her if she mentioned it but it was worth a shot. Playing a game would surely pass the time until they could go home. She knocked on Lou's door.

"Mr. Grant? Chief?"

"Come in."

Mary entered her boss's office. "Mr. Grant, would you like to come out and play a game with us?"

He looked at her funny. "What do you mean 'play a game'? You're supposed to be working."

"Yeah, I know, sir," Mary explained. "But nobody is getting much work done right now. We're all getting tired and cranky. Ted is just moaning and staring at himself in a mirror. I don't know what's wrong with him."

"I do…he's in love."

Mary's eyes widened. "He is?"

"Yep."

"Who is he in love with?"

"Himself. So what else is new?"

Mary rolled her eyes. "Mr. Grant, will you please come out and play a game with us? It will help pass the time. Today was a very slow day and we're not neglecting any work. You'll really like this game. I just know it."

Lou scratched his chin in thought. "What do Ted and Murray think about this?"

"Oh, they both agreed to it."

"Did they?"

Mary nodded.

"Okay, okay, Mary…I'll play along with your little game."

"Thanks, Chief," Mary said, smiling.

Lou and Mary walked out to meet with the others.

"What game did you have in mind, Mar?" asked Murray.

"Truth or Dare," said Mary.

Ted scoffed. "That's a child's game. I'm old enough to play with the big kids."

"Now, Ted…it's going to be fun," Mary assured him.

They put four chairs in the middle of the room. They sat in a big circle.

"Well, let's get started," Mary said, enthusiastically. She looked at each one of her coworkers. "Ted…Truth or Dare?"

"Uh…uh…"

"Come on, Ted, you have to choice," Murray said.

Ted frowned. "Truth…I guess."

Mary tried to think of an interesting question.

"Ask him if he sleeps with underwear on," Murray said, impishly.

"You keep out of this!" Ted barked.

Mary then came up with a question. "Ted, have you ever been scared by a mouse?"

"That's a stupid question," he grumbled.

"You have to answer it," Murray told him.

"Very well. My answer is no. I've never been scared off by a mouse."

"Are you sure?" Lou asked.

"Of course I'm sure."

"What about that time in the locker room?"

Ted was suddenly humbled. "That was different…it wasn't a mouse. It was a rat."

"Ooh, that is a big difference," Mary quipped.

"It's not funny," Ted grumbled.

"It's your turn, Ted. Now is your chance to embarrass somebody else."

Ted looked at Lou and cleared his throat. "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," Lou answered.

"Okay, you have to…you have to eat a whole gallon of ice cream."

"I have to do _what?"_

"Eat a whole gallon of ice cream," Ted repeated, smirking.

Lou stared at him in disbelief. "With _my_ stomach?

"Be a sport, sir," Murray said.

Ted went down to the cafeteria and pulled a gallon of mint chocolate chip ice cream from the freezer. He brought it back to the office and put it on the table.

"Didn't you bring me a spoon?" Lou asked.

"Oh, did I forget to mention? You have to eat it with your hands."

Lou was growing extremely irritated. "With my _hands?"_

"With your hands," Ted said as he sat down to watch the show. "Enjoy."

Lou rolled up his sleeves and loosened his tie. He opened the bucket of the ice cream and dug into the green coldness with his fingers.

In thirty minutes, the gallon was nearly gone. Lou had eaten all he could. He had been reduced to a bloated, belching, sticky-faced wreck. He threw Ted a hateful look. "You'll pay for this."

"Who's turn is it now, Mar?" asked Ted.

"It's Mr. Grant's turn," she replied.

Lou wiped his mouth on a rag and waddled over to his chair. "Murray…Truth or Dare?"

Murray had to think about it. He saw what happened to both Lou and Ted. No matter what he chose, he would likely end up being embarrassed.

"Truth or Dare, Murray?"

"Uh…Dare."

Lou placed a chair in the center of the room. "Murray, sit in this chair."

Murray sat in the chair.

"Okay," Lou said, chuckling. "I dare you to sit in that chair for five minutes and don't get out under any circumstances."

"What kind of a dare is that?" asked Murray, confused.

"Wait, I'm not finished," Lou said, mischievously. He glanced over at Mary. "Hey, Mary?"

"Yes, Mr. Grant?"

"I want you to try your very hardest to get Murray out of that chair. If you can manage to make him leave the chair before five minutes is up, then you are the winner. I'll give you ten bucks if you can do it."

Mary smiled wryly. "Really?"

"Really," Lou said, smirking. "However…if you lose…if you cannot get Murray to leave the chair, then he gets the ten bucks. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," Mary said, nervously

"Yes, sir," Murray said, smiling.

Lou looked at his watch. "Okay…GO!"

Mary pulled a stick of gum out of her pocket. "Look, Murray, look what I have! It's my last stick of gum. Come over here and get it."

Murray just sat there with a smug smile on his face.

Mary ripped off half the gum stick and popped it into her mouth. "Mmm! It's so juicy and fruity! Murray, you better get over here or you won't get any."

Murray just chuckled and folded his arms. This was going to be the easiest ten dollars he ever made.

Mary was getting more anxious. She really wanted that ten dollars. She quickly thought of another idea. She showed some cleavage and pulled up her skirt to reveal her legs and thighs. She stroked her legs in a very seductive way. "Hey, Murray…come and get it."

Murray just smiled and shook his head. "Sorry, but you'll have to do better than that, Mar."

Mary was almost ready to give up. She was running out of ideas. She paced back and forth across the floor.

"You have two minutes left, Mary," Lou said, looking at his watch.

Murray grinned at Mary as she panicked. "I'm just tickled pink we decided to play this game!" he chuckled.

That gave Mary an idea. She knelt down at Murray's feet and removed his shoes.

"What are you doing, Mar?" he asked, nervously.

Mary looked up at him and smiled slyly. She ran a finger along the sole of his foot. He yelped and jerked his foot back.

"Mary, don't do that! Please, don't, not the feet!" Murray pleaded.

Mary ignored his pathetic pleas for mercy. She pulled off his socks and began tickling his bare feet.

Murray couldn't control himself. He threw back his head and shrieked with laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! MARY! CUT IT OUT!"

Mary dug her fingers into the bottoms of his feet, raking her nails up and down. She giggled to herself as she tortured him. She was totally going to win!

Murray was screaming and laughing, shaking his head back and forth as Mary exploited his ticklish feet.

"AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NO! STOP! STOOOP!" Murray shrieked as he jumped out of the chair and ran to the other side of the room.

Mary threw her hands in the air. "Hooray! I won ten dollars!"

Lou pulled out his wallet and reluctantly handed her the money.

"Thank you, sir," Mary bubbled as she counted the money and slipped it into her purse.

Murray walked over to Mary. His face was red and he was trying to catch his breath.

"Watch your back, Mary. I'm going to get revenge on you," he warned.

"Go ahead and try. I haven't been ticklish since I was a little girl," she said, smugly.

Ted cleared his throat. "Well, that was fun. Now what?"

"Now it's Murray's turn," Mary said as she sat down.

Murray folded his arms and paced the floor. "Okay, Mary! Truth or Dare?"

"Truth," she answered.

"Have you ever left your lunch in the file drawers?"

"W-what makes you ask a question like that?" she stammered.

Murray smirked.

Mary suddenly remembered where she had put her tuna sandwich when the phone rang earlier that afternoon. She walked over to the file drawer and pulled it open. The smell of old fish and mayonnaise overpowered everyone in the room.

"OH! Eww! Murray, why didn't you tell me sooner?" Mary cried.

"I found out it was there right before we started playing this game. I figured it would make a good question."

Lou ran over to the drawer and watched in disbelief as Mary held up a runny, saggy tuna fish sandwich.

"Mary, if there is one drop of that goop on those files…"

"I'm sorry," she exclaimed, carrying the sandwich to the wastebasket.

Ted looked at his watch. "Hey, looks like it's about time to head home."

"Good, I'm exhausted," Murray said, yawning.

"Well, you all have to admit…playing Truth or Dare did make the evening more fun," Mary told them.

The men looked at each other and smiled. It _had_ been a very interesting night.

The End


End file.
